Sirai actor Anishma Anilkumar: I’m happy to have gotten author-backed character for my Tamil debut

Ahead of Sirai’s OTT release, Anishma Anilkumar recalls bagging her Tamil debut through auditions, preparing for Kalaiyarasi by living in a village, and embracing an author-backed role

Sirai actor Anishma Anilkumar

Sirai is gearing up for OTT release on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium soon. The Vikram Prabhu-starrer is a police procedural film based on true events. Malayalam actor Anishma Anilkumar, who was seen in films I Am Kathalan and Marana Mass, had appeared in a prominent role in Sirai, making a strong Tamil debut.

How did Anishma bag Sirai?

It was through auditions Anishma bagged the role of Kalaiyarasi in Sirai. “After I Am Kathalan released last year, they were on a lookout for a female lead in Sirai. I was trying to find more diverse roles, and auditioned for it. Thankfully when I got a call, I was both surprised and happy to get an author-backed character,” says the young actor.

Coming from a family of government servants, Anishma is the first-generation actor. “I am an engineer technically but I tried for auditions to pursue my passion. My parents were sceptical at first but later chose my happiness and let me act.”

Also read: Sirai movie review: Vikram Prabhu, debutant Akshay Kumar anchor a brilliantly written police procedural drama

Anishma says that she was comfortable working in Tamil and have a good understanding of the language. However, she was new to the life that her character is based on. In Sirai, Kalaiyarasi is a young woman from a village who attends court hearing of her lover for years, hoping he would be released. To understand the lifestyle, Anishma attended workshops and even stayed in Sivagangai to get accustomed to rural life. “We lived there for about 20 days and got used to how things work in villages. It was very helpful because we continued to shoot,” she adds.

‘No difference between shooting in Tamil and Malayalam’

The actor also states that there was no difference between working in a Malayalam and Tamil film. “Though the lifestyle of movie and situations were different but it was the same as working in Tamil and Malayalam film. The team’s belief in me and that I can pull off a character like Kalaiyarasi made me feel more comfortable and at home.”

Also read: Sirai actor LK Akshay Kumar: It was the first film where I have been on sets properly

It was during the fag end of shooting when Sirai makers shot the lighter portions of the story. This further helped her says Anishma, “It was there in our mind what Kalaiyarasi and Abdul had gone through and given it is a real story, all of them made it feel more real. There was some impact that was there even after wrap. I felt sad but I cannot point out reasons.”

Up next, Anishma will be starring in Ken Karunas’ next titled Youth, and a few other projects in the pipeline. She also signs off by saying that she wants to do humour script sometime.

Sirai FAQs

Q. What is Sirai movie OTT release date?

A. Sirai will release on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium on January 23.

Q. Who are there in Sirai movie cast?

A. Vikram Prabhu, LK Akshay Kumar, Anishma Anilkumar, Ananda Thambirajah, are part of Sirai cast.

Q. What is Sirai OTT partner?

A. Sirai will stream on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium.

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